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UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BARTON A. BALLOU, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

EAR-WIRE.

$PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,830, datedSeptember 18, 1888.

Application filed January S, 1888. Serial No. 259,743. (No model.)

specification thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows the blank from which the ear-wire is made. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of my invention.

My invention relates to the wires by which ear-rings are attached to theears; and it consists of an ear-wire having integral therewith a ring tosustain the pendant or jewel;

My improved ear-wire is preferably made from flat stock. A blank is cuttherefrom, in

.the shape shown in Fig. 1, consisting of a straight bar, a, and asemicircular projection, 1), upon one side, all in one piece. Thisprojection b is drilled through its center and forms the ring 0. Thestraight bar a is ham mered or swaged cold to form a cylindrical wirethroughout its entire length, which wire is bent into the shape of ancanwirc, as seen in Fig. 2. The catch is shown at d.

The pendant or knob which forms the-ornamental portion of the earring issuspended from the ring 0 in the usual manner. In earwires as hithertomade it has been common to form said ring separately and to attach it tothe ear-wire by soldering. The exposure of the wire to heat by thisoperation of soldering draws the temper of the stock, so that the wireis easily bent out of shape when used, and its symmetry and usefulnessare thereby destroyed.

By making the ear wire and ring in one piece, as described, theoperation of soldering is dispensed with, and the temper of the wireproduced by the hammering or swaging remains unimpaired, so that theear-wire retains its symmetrical appearance and its resiliencepermanently, however much used.

Instead of drilling the projection b in a direction at a right angle tothe bar a, as shown, it may be drilled in a direction parallel to saidbar, if desired.

Another important advantage of said construction of ear-wires is thatthe pendant may v BARTON A. BALLOU.

IVitnesses:

DANIEL W. FINK, WARREN R. PIERCE.

